Page 23 of TAINTED by TWINS

Lian Miller was gone for work yet again. And 6 inch stiletto shoes are walking through cracked pavement yet again. This time, Velomina drove herself. She cannot trust anyone in her household, not even her driver whom she has fired and blacklisted from the elites.

"Lei Ann? Unlocked doors again, are these people waiting for me to hire security?! Lei—" Velomina opened the door to see the woman about to open the door too. Her eyelids halfway down, indicating she's anything but sober.

"Mina... ?" She rolled her eyes, before rubbing one of them. "Oh you're here... well, I need to wake up... I need to buy more!"

"..." she wants alcohol. She still thinks I'm a dream. "I have alcohol. I bought one for you."

Velomina held the door open while respectfully looking away. "I'll... prepare it for you, my dear... please, in the meantime, wear a bra."

"Mm, okay..." Lei Ann stumbled away and fell on her living room couch with a groan and a sigh, still wearing one shoe. "Ughhhhghggh I want a drinnnnnk! Lian, get me wine!"

Meanwhile, Velomina cautiously enters a kitchen and for the first time in her life, she opened a fridge. Pitcher of water. Lemon. "Lei Ann, be a dear and open some windows. I can smell your breakfast and I don't like Hungarian sausages."

"Hehe, my precious little Lian made my breakfast..." she stumbled over to open the windows, letting in fresh air as Velomina made her a glass of lemon water. Lei watched her with wondering half-lidded eyes. "Haha... Mina would never make me a drink."

"Good thing you're dreaming," Velomina offered it to her, which Lei Ann happily accepted and drank in one go.

"Ahhh, haha! You're lovelier in my dreams, Mina... I wish you could stay here more often," she whispered against her fluttering eyelids, barely awake.

"Me too," Velomina whispers to the wind.

The both of them end up sitting on the couch as Lei stared on the ceiling with a dazed look. Velomina took the comfort of silence to her advantage and tells her, "What would you do if Khalid knows about you being alive?"

"Kkhhh," Lei Ann snorted, "Khalid wouldn't hurt me. Velomina might."

Her heart broke in that small couch right there. Hurt the woman I love?

"I thought about it. God, I fantasized revenge for so long since I found out you were hiding from me."

"Mmm... hide and seek is fun," Lei mumbled, "Were you having fun, Mina?"

"After your death, I went insane, Lei. Khalid gave me freedom to grieve, so I used drugs and copious amounts of lovers to forget you. It didn't work; I had to be sent to the asylum where I was left with my thoughts of you."

"That's not so fun," Lei suddenly laid down—not on the couch, but her head on Velomina's thighs. The woman silently gasped, not sure if she's allowed to touch Lei's head. But maybe she was tired. Maybe Velomina shouldn't touch, or else she will realize it has all been reality.

I want to stay with you. Even in your dreams...

"I'm sorry, Mina... I know I'm horrible... I can't do anything right. As a maid, as a lover... even as a mother."

"Lei..."

"I would've been truly dead too if it weren't for my son. He kept me holding on until he was old enough for me to drink. Ahh... I'm such a terrible mother," Lei's tears streamed down her face and onto Velomina's dress. "He's my everything..."

How I'd give to be your everything, too. But Velomina understands all too well, she pulled something out of her bag and then gave it to Lei Ann. "These are my sons. They forced me to go sane when I was pregnant with them."

Lei Ann took the photo; two gorgeous young men with the features of a model and the build of demigods. She smiled, "They look like you. Look, your cheeks, your nose... hehe, your blue eyes."

"They're not Khalid's," Velomina whispered, her hands caressing Lei Ann's shoulder. "I got pregnant in the asylum, I was immediately pulled out because of them. Khalid still wouldn't let me go... he needed heirs or else he will lose everything."

Lei Ann gasps, sitting up while still being close to Velomina. So close, the Lady can smell the sweet smelling alcohol and Lei inhales the intoxicating Burberry perfume.

"Mina... he's gonna go after my son..."

"That's why I need you to be honest with me, Lei Ann." Velomina held her head, keeping it in the distance where one move will combine their lips together. "... did your baby die that day?"

I wish I had died. Oh, how I wish Jade would've ran me over for real. I couldn't focus during teaching... not when the twins' eyes are on me. I had to face the board.

I tapped the board with a chalk. "Student Representatives will have a meeting at the end of class, okay? Jonah?"

"Copy, Mr. Miller..." he said with a smile so subtle yet bright enough to make the women sigh and foam at the genitals.

"Now, when citing sources in your literature review—" I scribbled notes I couldn't read, heat prickling at the back of my neck. Behind me, one of the Deveroux twins shifted in his seat. I didn't know which. I didn't dare look.

"—you want peer-reviewed articles. Google Scholar is a start, but JSTOR, Project MUSE, even your university's own database—"

A low chuckle. Definitely Sasha, the living database for the school. The school's vault of secrets. I clenched my chalk, continuing my lesson.

"Don't fall for clickbait headlines. Authorized sources, accuracy—these are what matter. What else?"

Sasha raised his hand, "Evidence, sir."

I made a mistake of looking at him where he's batting his mascara-coated lashes at me. "Y-yes... evidence."

Sasha proudly looks at his girls and they admire his intellect, but Jonah raised his hand as well.

"Evidence without context is useless," Jonah said towards Sasha, not even glancing my way.

I spoke up, "Elaborate, Mr. Deveroux?"

Jonah now looks back at me, tilting his head.

"Anyone can cherry-pick facts to fit a narrative.

Yes, the apple fell. But was it natural, or was the branch shaken?

Or maybe the tree died, or the wind blew too fast. You can't just give me a fallen apple as evidence—one could've just picked it off and said it fell. "

Sasha scoffed under his breath, but I caught the way Jonah's smile twitched.

"Jonah's making my panties fall—"

"Shut up, Amanda..." Sasha spat at her, before raising his hand again. "One can still look at an apple, and it won't change the fact that it's off the tree. How it fell doesn't matter—it's off, ready to be eaten, or to rot. You will still see a dirty apple."

He even winked at Jonah. My stomach fell—

"You can't really judge the apple for falling, though?" This time, everyone gasped at Jade's sudden participation in the lesson. He's not asleep, he's not on his phone. He's looking at me, before glaring at Sasha.

Everyone laughed, and I can see Sasha Petrovna grinding his teeth together.

"Don't say anything to Jade, Sash..."

"He's merciless." / "I wouldn't."

"Of course I'm not gonna debate against a man who gets paid to drug women in clubs," Sasha smiles widely at Jade as I stared in shock. Everyone is already whispering among themselves. "Aww, do you need context for that dirty apple too, Jade?"

I can see Jade's eyes twitch. I spoke up, "That's enough. Let's not make any assumptions without evidence, that's the point of research..."

"It must be true, though." / "Yeah, it's Jade after all..."

"Sasha knows everything."

"They say he works for mob bosses—"

"Shh, Amanda! He'll kill you!"

"SILENCE!" I yell to the whole class before Jade could kill Sasha with his stare. "This is a class in which I do not accept sketchy sources and baseless accusations. Stick to due process!"

I quickly looked back at the board, pulse kicking up again.

I find myself blushing at the twins, but my is heart pounding because of Sasha purposely pushing Jade's buttons.

I've personally seen him work in shady business—he got me to take photos for blackmail!

Even I don't doubt what Sasha said. ..

But I can't just look at the apple without questioning how it fell.

I dismissed the class, and Sasha walked towards my desk submitting his Chapter 4. Jonah placed an apple on my desk and gave me a smile, before he leaves for a student council meeting. Jade rushed to leave with everyone.

"Jade!" I called out, and he rolled his eyes toward me as if he can't wait to go home. "Can I talk to you?"

"You know what Sasha said is true, Lian," he groaned, "I'm not a good person, what else is there to say?"

"Close the door," I softly requested. He did, against his will. He sat on the closest chair to the door and I started packing my things.

"You have billionaire parents, Jade. A mom that gifted a random teacher a 100million dollar necklace. Why would go to that line of work when you could earn money from literally everything else?"

"I'm not like these trust fund kids, Lian.

Jonah has a job, he models. I have to do something, too.

Someday, we might lose everything especially with that lipsticked clam being unstable and divorcing our father, which is the one holding the wealth.

She just wears money on her neck and someday, she'll hang from it. "

"Jade Deveroux, stop talking about your mother like that!"

What? Why? I never thought she'd neglect her sons, she seemed to talk highly of Jonah, and maybe talk bad about Jade for his attitude. But what if... what if these young men just didn't experience the love of a mother? Looking at my gold bracelet as I can't help but think—why me?

"I'm sorry. I uhh... I didn't know. I'm sorry," I sat on the desk near his chair, and he's there staring at anywhere but me. "But Jonah pursued modeling. Why can't you do... something more ethical?"

"Jonah has charisma and the nerve to manipulate people into doing what he wants.

I only have the latter," Jade finally looks at me, his blue eyes making me feel a bit nervous and.

.. "I was hooked on weed at 14, and I won't name the drugs I've taken before 17.

Basically, being depressed got me into that world. "

"Jade..."

"And then I realized I don't want to just be a consumer stealing money off that molten sea anemone's wallet.

I can earn from my addiction... I started selling.

" Jade reached for my hand, and I can't just reject him, so I let him play with it.

"Then I got in trouble with a supplier and got sick of being the small guy, I decided to be a supplier.

That lead me to working for the manufacturer.

.. mobs, mafias. They trusted me enough to carry their dirty work.

I was faceless, unnamed... I was clean."

"So you're a supplier?"

"Not anymore. I climbed up the ladder... I refused to have a boss. Like that blackmailing gig... I get paid by both sides, I don't work for either." He pulls my hand closer to his face, and I can feel his warm breath.

"And the women you drugged?" He didn't say anything, just held my hand like it was his rosary. I had to pull it away, "Jade, I need context on why the apple fell to the ground."

That made him smirk. "You're one inquisitive teacher, aren't you Sir?"

Oh god, him looking up at me while saying that...

"I got paid by mob bosses to drug the women they slept with, kidnap them, and bribe them with money.

Those that don't accept the money, I deliver them to the mob to be disposed of.

" I gasped, but then he says, "None of them refused the money, sweetheart.

However... I only gave them half the money. The other half?"

"Jade..." he's touching me under my shirt as if the window isn't open, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"The apple is dirty, used, a user..." Jade stood up and cornered me between his body and the table, "You wouldn't choose me, would you Lian?"

My breath hitched, his blue eyes seducing mine as his hands caressed my sensitive ribs, where my heart is caged.

"If I choose you... would you stop?" I answer, and I felt him stop. I felt him pause, both his hands and breath. His eyes blink multiple times, trying to process my words. I repeated, "Jade, if I choose you... would you be better?"

His lips parted, softly breathing out, "People don't change, Lian. Why would you choose me?"

"Dirty apples can be washed," I whisper, "... they'll taste just as sweet as they are inside. And Jade, you're the sweetest. At least to me... wh-which is a good start."

"You plan to change me?"

I shake my head, reaching for his as I weaved my fingers through his black wavy hair, gelled messily. "Only you can change yourself. Your past is dark, but you can always have a better future. That line of work... isn't safe. And I'm worried about you."

"Why would you be worried about me?"

"Didn't you just hear me?" I pulled his hand away from my body. "I... I like—no, I want y—not that," too horny, "... Jade please! I don't want you to be a bad person!"

"Why are you frustrated?" He tilted his head just like his brother would, and it's frustrating me, too. "You're frustrated... because you don't want to love a bad person?"

Do I even love him? I'm attracted, I'm attached... I want him to protect me. Times like this, I just want to spill my thoughts. But I can't... I'm not supposed to. Jade is a student, and I'm in our classroom.

"Push me away," he suddenly says.

"H-huh? Why—" he moved between my legs, pushing me back until I had to prop myself with my arms. There, he leaned towards me and is threatening my lips with a kiss.

"Push me away... if you don't want me," he whispered against my expecting lips, and all I can do was breathe until he took it away with his tongue.

Holding my head, he kept me in place as he explored my mouth.

I don't know how, because I was drowning in his kiss, but I heard him say, "Because I want you, and I could never push you away.

You're my new addiction, Lian. Let me indulge, or save me from you. "